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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27467914">Stakes and Stones</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeletedBecauseShy/pseuds/DeletedBecauseShy'>DeletedBecauseShy</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeletedBecauseShy/pseuds/Grim%20Reaper%20Cultist'>Grim Reaper Cultist (DeletedBecauseShy)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>DBS Fall Flower Fics 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood and Injury, F/M, Flashbacks, Light Angst, Needles (brief), Vampire Hunters, Vampires</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:34:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,844</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27467914</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeletedBecauseShy/pseuds/DeletedBecauseShy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeletedBecauseShy/pseuds/Grim%20Reaper%20Cultist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Flower Number 639: Evening Primrose</p><p>The Evening Primrose symbolises youth, sweet memories, and love as well as hunting. </p><p>Request: Grelliam in the most esoteric AU I have. </p><p>I made them vampires and vampire hunters because vampires are cool.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>William T. Spears/Grell Sutcliff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>DBS Fall Flower Fics 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1940269</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Stakes and Stones</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This got lost in my drafts and should have been posted a while ago :(</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She could feel the warm rush of blood from miles away, the overwhelming pulling sensation that possessed her body. The crimson drips that fell from porcelain skin were enough to drive her mad. She yearned to reach out and pierce the flesh more. Yet, she sat still. </p><p>William looked up at her from his spot beside her, content to watch the instructor’s lesson without talking to his neighbour of fate would allow. The older man was talking in the same monotone voice he had introduced himself with, his hands busy with a blood bag that he poured into a small bowl for their first lesson. He rambled on about how vampires would only respond to fresh, clean blood and never any of the fake substitutes hunters in the past had tried. </p><p>Their class was expected to replace the recent slaughter of over 20 hunters that happened last year in Manchester. He knew the stakes were high. </p><p>“What brings someone like you here? You don’t seem the hunter type.” He really didn’t. The class was filled with ragged and adventurous teens, ones who were in it for the adrenaline rush and money. Then there was him, 17, twiggy, with combed-back hair and glasses that completed the look. He wasn’t as strong as them. He never would be. No, he wasn’t there for fun, he just wanted to help rid the world of monsters. </p><p>Monsters that prayed on people didn’t deserve to exist in his world. Not if he had a choice. “Do I need a reason to help round up pests?” </p><p>She stayed quiet after that, silently taking notes with doodles in the margins.<br/>
___</p><p>Now, Grell and Will worked together in the field, hunting any stray that caught their eyes across the English Isle. From London to Glasgow, they hunted any vampire that dared to cross their path. Their brilliance had helped to bring the estimated population of vampires down from over 2,000 to less than 500 in only 10 years. </p><p>“Will~ sheriff says that some ladies went missing near the forest a few nights back. What do you say we check it out?” Her voice was sultry and dramatic, highlighting her obvious opinion on the question. She enjoyed the hunt. To her, it was an addictive thrill.<br/>
___</p><p>Grell was barely watching the instructor, eyes glued to William at the front of the classroom near the board. He wrote out long, elaborate answers and theories in a cursive scrawl with chalk across the wall. He talked about the individual benefits of wood and silver in a scythe. </p><p>It was mesmerising. </p><p>Finally, he sat back down as the next person was called to present. His presence had become a welcome one in her life. Even if he wanted her dead just for existing. “You did good.” </p><p>“Thank you.”<br/>
___</p><p>“Grell, we can’t go after them just yet, we need to plan first. Witnesses say they had weapons.” She brushed off his concern with ease. Already preparing her silver-tipped blades as he spoke. </p><p>“I’m not gonna let more people be captured, Will. We should go tonight, we can take them.” Her boots slid on easily. Soon she was at the door of the room they had rented with her hand on the handle. </p><p>“I’m not going to risk you getting injured because of this. Just one day of planning, please.” He knew he sounded desperate. He knew he didn’t just sound desperate, he was desperate. </p><p>His movements were quick after he heard the door closed. Grabbing his stakes from where they had put out their weapons their night before and throwing on the first pair of shoes he saw before rushing after her.<br/>
___</p><p>“Grell, a hand?” His back was spayed across the grass, arms spread at his side from the impact. He lifted his back off the dirt and grasped her outstretched hand and popping back up for a second round. </p><p>She continued to beat him time after time, knocking him down with blows that would be lethal given a proper weapon. It wasn’t hard to see who the better fighter was out of the pair. “You’re good, just not me good.” </p><p>He smiled at her from across the practice rink with a challenging gleam in his eyes. “One more round, let’s go.”<br/>
___</p><p>Will had been right, they did have weapons. Luckily, it was only iron. Not that she planned on getting hit, but iron was better than silver. She could hear his footsteps a few yards behind her, as well as the noises of the two approaching men. Neither attempted to hide themself, exposing glowing green eyes to the shadowed forest. </p><p>William arrived as the second one struck at her with an easily blocked swing from his knife. The first one running towards William with an unrestrained bloodlust. Whatever happened after, she was too absorbed in her own fight to notice. </p><p>Her opponent swung with too-wide strokes, leaving him open to a well-timed strike between the ribs. Her chance would come soon, when his arm was poised to attack her non-existent heart she would strike. Aiming to impale her blade right between his 6th and 7th ribs with her left arm she lunged forward. At the same time, he grabbed and twisted her hand to drop her silver-tipped blade into his waiting hand. </p><p>He moved at a breakneck pace towards her, weighing her weapon in his hands experimentally. She tried in vain to dodge the various swipes he sent her way, eventually falling victim to his superior speed. </p><p>Black blood wept from the large gash on her harm that travelled from her shoulder blade to elbow.<br/>
___</p><p>“When we graduate we should form our own group. Travel the country, just us. What do you think?” She didn’t even look up from her textbook when she talked. She already knew his face well enough to imagine his expression. </p><p>“We need to graduate first. Then, I don’t see why not.” He could feel his face heat up at the idea, just him and her, travelling the country and exterminating anything that got in their way. Just him and her.<br/>
___</p><p>“Grell!” </p><p>She could hear the crashing of wood against iron as Will continued to trade hits with the first vampire. She clawed at the fabric of her shirt to try and cover the unnaturally dark blood spilling down her arm. Already, the fatigue of silver in her bloodstream was noticeable. Her vision was feathered at the edges. </p><p>The sound of a body falling to the ground reached her ears eventually, as well as a cut off scream from the first Vampire. </p><p>Good, Will was winning. She just wished she could help. </p><p>His movements were puppeteered by rage as he rushed towards the second man in a flurry of laboured breathing and curses. </p><p>One of his stakes makes a home between his ribs, right where Grell had aimed moments prior. It wasn’t enough to kill him. No, he only died when Will’s boot crushed his head sideways from where he had fallen on the ground. </p><p>He didn’t even confirm that he had killed the beast before rushing over the corpse to Grell. He examined where he knew she had been hit, hands peeling back black fabric to reveal equally dark blood. “Black....blood.” He didn’t know if Grell could still hear him, her pulse was weak on his skin. </p><p>How much had she lied to him?</p><p>Why would she do it? What did she get from killing her people like livestock for the fun of it?</p><p>And why with him?</p><p>It couldn’t all be fake, he knew that much. Their relationship had been real, it had to be. She was too honest to lie about her feelings. </p><p>Vampire or not, he realised, Grell was his partner. That meant it was his job to save her. She couldn’t die until she gave him a proper explanation. </p><p>So, he pressed on the wound tightly while fishing a sewing kit from his pocket. It took a worryingly long time to thread the needle with shaking hands; still, he did it eventually and pulled the thread through her skin to close the wound as well as he could. Her eyes fluttered open and closed occasionally, Irises glowing green and pupils dilated. </p><p>“Stay with me, Grell. Do you remember when we first met? I’ll be honest, I really didn’t want to talk to you. God, I’m so glad I did. What about your presentation on the most powerful hunters in history, we’re pretty high up on that list now, I’d imagine.” He was rambling. Trying to keep her mind working and out of shock. Anything to keep her with him until he could think of what to do. “You always beat me in practice fights, always. You’re too strong to let something like this kill you. You have to survive this, we still have so many places to visit! If you die here we won’t be a team anymore.” </p><p>Why wasn’t she healing, damn it! Even a silver knife shouldn’t be this powerful against her, none of their past encounters had had this bad of a reaction, so why did she!</p><p>He was near hysterical when it finally dawned on him. Every other vampire they had fought had been frequent feeders. Who knew the last time she had fed, they had been practically joined at the hip since graduation. That was almost a decade ago. “Damn it, Grell! How long have you been starving yourself! Who have you the right!” </p><p>He knew he couldn’t hear her. She had long since passed out in his lap with her eyes closed and mouth open in a small o. </p><p>He found the knife on one of her weapon straps, nestled neatly at her thigh. </p><p>It stung as he brought it across his hand diagonally, leaving a pool of red blood to gather in his palm. </p><p>He could see her whimper at the smell, teeth growing into fangs on instinct. His other arm wrapped around her waist to bring her into a sitting position against his chest as he slowly brought his hand closer and closer to her mouth. </p><p>Stray drops of blood stained her lips before continuing down to her collar. </p><p>The effects are quick, the sloppy stitching around her arm laying in a more natural position within a few minutes and her pulse evening to a healthy rate a few moments later.<br/>
___</p><p>Grell finally wakes up in the small, shabby hotel room they had rented a few nights prior. Her right leg is numb and filled with pins and needles. For a second, she assumes the worst only for her fears to dissipate as her vision clears and she sees William’s head and arms rested over her knee protectively. </p><p>He can see her eyes widen at the sight of the bandages around his hand, along with the residual taste of blood on her tongue after. “You have some explaining to do, Grell.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah I do. Are you in a listening mood?” </p><p>“I always am if it’s you who’s talking.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Note, this is in no way affiliated with the vote fic. I hope you enjoyed though ~&lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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